Insecticide



Patented June 11, 1940 usurp "srnres PATENT OFFICE-i n'wsaorrcmn Chai-les a. meme, n, Northvllle, N. 1., as-

aignor to Feldapathic Research Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware No Drawing. Application October 28, 1938, I L Serial No. 237,483

4 Claims. (01. 167-44) This invention relates to insecticides and has for its object to provide an ,eflicient, economical material of this type for use in all fields where control of insects and lower animal life is required. a

Another'object of the invention is to provide a dry, powdered insecticide whiclris free flowing and non-caking under. practically all conditions of use and is therefore particularly, adapted for admixture with grains or for suspension in the air or dusting on surfaces to" be protected, and is capable of d stroying parasites'fby itsdesiccative and paralyzing action as well as by its toxic ei- 1| I have found ,that pyrophyllite, a hydrous aluminum. silicate represented by the formula A12Oa.4SiO2.H2O, possesses valuable insecticidal properties. Because of its speciflc gravity and physical structure this mineral, when finely no ground, will remain suspended in the air, and apparently the mineral particles aredrawn into the tracheal system of insects, resulting in suiiocation and' removal of body moisture.- In any event, death will result in time when the insect L is left exposed to pyrophyllite dust.

However, finely ground or powdered pyrophyllite tends to form into little balls or nodules, which prevents themineral from flowing freely and reduces its eflicacy as an insecticide. This an tendency to cake or agglomerate is apparently due to the polarity of the static charge of electricity held by each of the little mineral parti-..

cles. The liner the grinding, the more pronounced is this tendency; and the greater the '33 tendency to cake, the less effective will be the.

insecticidal action insofar as it depends upon the tracheal and desiccating action referred to above.

I have now discovered that'by treating a granv ular or powdered pyrophyllite with a reagent containing a fluorine radical, the polarity of the static charge of electricity on the mineral particles is changed in such a way that the individual particles tend to repel one another with the result that the powdered mass becomes free-flowing and non-caking, and the treated particles acquire a high quality of diffusion in the air and in liquids, and I have also discovered that this treatment greatly increases the suffocating, desiccating and toxic effects of the mineral particles. 50 Besides, I havefound that-similar results are obtained by treating bauxite, alunite and topaz in the-same manner as hereinafter described.

As reagents for accomplishing theabove results I use any liquid or gaseous reagent containing a fluorine radical, particularly hydrofluoric acid, fluosulphonic acid, or, silicon tetrafluoride. gas. When granular or powdered pyrophyllite, bauxite, alunite or topaz is treated in this manner a new .materialis formed, each treated grain or-particle apparently consisting ofthe original unaltered mineral plus alumiri'um fluoride of the formula AlFa'. The treated particles are not only more effective than theuntreated mineral particles" as a suffocating and desiccating agent, but they are also considerably more toxic or poisonous to insects and other lower forms of life. The mineral pyrophyllite, bauxite, alunite and topaz all contain aluminain a form which is readily attacked by the fluorine reagent, forming AiFs, while the silica attacked 16 by the reagent is driven off as silicon tetrafluoride gas. The reaction is carried only to the point where the. surfaces of the individual mineral grains are etched, wherebyeach grain will consist of the unaltered mineral plus All; andwill 20 therefore perform the dual role'of a suffocating or desiccating, agent and a poison. In addition.

liquids and in the air.- s

In practice, the commi-nuted pyrophyllite,

. bauxite, alunite or topaz may be treated in various ways with a liquid or gaseous reagent containing a fluorine radical. For example, the liquid or gas may be introduced into a mixer congo taining the flnely divided mineral particles, and the contents of the mixer agitated for a period oftime sufiicient to render the individual mineral particles repellent to one another; or a suitable liquid reagent may be introduced directly into a chamber containing the mineral particles and the contents of the chamber heated to gasify and diffuse the reagent through the particles; or the comminuted mineral may be passed through a heated chamber counter-current to a stream of gaseous reagent in any suitable manner.

As an illustration of the invention, a number of drops of hydrofluoric acid were placed in a container partially filled with 325 mesh pyrophyllite. Suliicient heat was applied to the container to quickly volatilize the hydrofluoric acid. The released hydrofluoric acid gas quickly filled the closed container and acted upon the particles of pyrophyllite. The gas readilyattacked the silica in the pyrophyllite'to form Sim. The 5 reaction resulted in etching the surface of the grains and evidently changed the polarity of the static charge on the particles. Asa result, a marked diiference could beobserve'd by the naked eye in the. texture of the treated mass.

The pyrophyllite treated as in the above example proved much more effective in destroying insects than untreated pyrophyllite. In one case where. Japanese beetles were used in a test, the beetles lived more than twelve hours when dusted with untreated 325 mesh pyrophyllite while other test beetles lived less than six hours when dusted with 325 mesh pyrophyllite treated in the manner described above. Certain small beetles of the weevil type were all killed in four hours with dry powdered pyrophyllite treated in the manner described. Very satisfactory results were also obtained with treated bauxite, alunite and topaz.

As a result of my investigations it appears that my treated pyrophyllite, bauxite, alunite or topaz particles taken into the tracheal system. give up AlFs to the body.fluid of the insect. Hence to the sufiocating and drying action is added a paralyzing effect. Death occurs through inhalation of fewer particles and in much less time than when various standard insecticides are used. Furthermore, the stoma or breathing holes in some lower forms of life are so well protected that very few particles can enter, and it might be impossible to get enough mineral particles through these openings to cause death from suffocation or desiccation alone'whereas the toxic efiect of my treated minerals will result in death.

Particles of pyrophyllite, bauxite, alunite and to z treated in the manner described above are a much-more efiective drying agent than the untreated minerals or various standard insecticides which I have investigated. For this reason my insecticide is especially efiective when a drying action is required as in killing termites and certain weevils. My insecticides may be used alone or in admixture with other materials having insecticidal properties, depending upon the particular purpose which it is desired to accomplish. Besides being free-flowing and capable of indefinite suspension in the air, my insecticide also has a high diffusion inliquids so that in appropriate cases it may be used in suspension in liquid carriers which may either possess insecticidal properties themselves or else may be inert and preferably volatile so that they will evaporate and leave the solid particles of insecticide deposited on the surfaces to be protected.

The invention is not to be limited to the particular methods or conditions of treatment which comprises treating a finely divided mineral selected from the class consisting of pyrophyllite, bauxite, alunite and topaz with a reagent containing a fluorine radical capable of reacting with the mineral to form a partial coating of aluminum fluoride on the individual particles.

3. Method oi producing a dry, free-flowing insecticide which comprises treating a' mineral of 200 mesh or finer selected from the class consisting of pyrophyllite, bauxite, alunite and topaz with a reagent containing a fluorineradical capable of reacting with the mineral to form a partial coating of aluminum fluoride on the individual particles.

4. A dry, free-flowing insecticide comprising pyrophyllite of 200 mesh or finer in which the individual mineral particles contain a partial coating of aluminum fluoride.

CHARLES H. PEDDRICK, JR. 

